"Out of Spec Dave" at the New York Auto Show

[hmp10]

"Out of Spec Dave" (father of Kyle Conner of "Out of Spec Studios") posted a video tour of the EVs at the recent New York Auto Show.

He begins discussing Lucid at 1:04:00 and says the lines to test drive an Air were the longest he had ever seen at the show. But . . . there was no Gravity at the show?!? There was one, instead, on display at the Lucid Studio in the Meat Packing District. There were two Gravity prototypes at the L.A. Auto Show. Why could Lucid not have had at least one at the New York Show? I have twice lived in the southeastern Connecticut bedroom communities outside NYC, and the place was crawling with high-ticket SUVs such as Cayennes, GLS's, BMW X's, and Range Rovers. Same for Westchester County just north of the city and the Jersey suburbs. I had many friends and coworkers who made the annual trek to the Auto Show. In other words, although NYC inhabitants are not as car-crazed as in L.A., there is a huge luxury SUV market surrounding NYC right in the sweet market spot where Lucid hopes to land the Gravity.

Sometimes I just do not get Lucid's marketing moves, such as they are.

 

[no gas]

"Out of Spec Dave" (father of Kyle Conner of "Out of Spec Studios") posted a video tour of the EVs at the recent New York Auto Show.

He begins discussing Lucid at 1:04:00 and says the lines to test drive an Air were the longest he had ever seen at the show. But . . . there was no Gravity at the show?!? There was one, instead, on display at the Lucid Studio in the Meat Packing District. There were two Gravity prototypes at the L.A. Auto Show. Why could Lucid not have had at least one at the New York Show? I have twice lived in the southeastern Connecticut bedroom communities outside NYC, and the place was crawling with high-ticket SUVs such as Cayennes, GLS's, BMW X's, and Range Rovers. Same for Westchester County just north of the city and the Jersey suburbs. I had many friends and coworkers who made the annual trek to the Auto Show. In other words, although NYC inhabitants are not as car-crazed as in L.A., there is a huge luxury SUV market surrounding NYC right in the sweet market spot where Lucid hopes to land the Gravity.

Sometimes I just do not get Lucid's marketing moves, such as they are.

Agree! That is perplexing.

 

[terrycs]

"Out of Spec Dave" (father of Kyle Conner of "Out of Spec Studios") posted a video tour of the EVs at the recent New York Auto Show.

He begins discussing Lucid at 1:04:00 and says the lines to test drive an Air were the longest he had ever seen at the show. But . . . there was no Gravity at the show?!? There was one, instead, on display at the Lucid Studio in the Meat Packing District. There were two Gravity prototypes at the L.A. Auto Show. Why could Lucid not have had at least one at the New York Show? I have twice lived in the southeastern Connecticut bedroom communities outside NYC, and the place was crawling with high-ticket SUVs such as Cayennes, GLS's, BMW X's, and Range Rovers. Same for Westchester County just north of the city and the Jersey suburbs. I had many friends and coworkers who made the annual trek to the Auto Show. In other words, although NYC inhabitants are not as car-crazed as in L.A., there is a huge luxury SUV market surrounding NYC right in the sweet market spot where Lucid hopes to land the Gravity.

Sometimes I just do not get Lucid's marketing moves, such as they are.

Since Gravity is not immediately available, I suspect they didn't want Gravity cannibalizing the interest in the Air?

 

[borski]

Since Gravity is not immediately available, I suspect they didn't want Gravity cannibalizing the interest in the Air?

Unlikely; the NY auto show historically has dozens of concept cars too, from lots of manufacturers.

Not sure why there wasn’t a Gravity there. Seems like a missed opportunity.

 

[nck]

When I went to see the gravity while it was on display at the Scottsdale studio, the sales associate told me the second one was being used to setup the production line or something like that. I assume that is the reason the green one has been MIA since the LA auto show

 

[Bunnylebowski]

"Out of Spec Dave" (father of Kyle Conner of "Out of Spec Studios") posted a video tour of the EVs at the recent New York Auto Show.

He begins discussing Lucid at 1:04:00 and says the lines to test drive an Air were the longest he had ever seen at the show. But . . . there was no Gravity at the show?!? There was one, instead, on display at the Lucid Studio in the Meat Packing District. There were two Gravity prototypes at the L.A. Auto Show. Why could Lucid not have had at least one at the New York Show? I have twice lived in the southeastern Connecticut bedroom communities outside NYC, and the place was crawling with high-ticket SUVs such as Cayennes, GLS's, BMW X's, and Range Rovers. Same for Westchester County just north of the city and the Jersey suburbs. I had many friends and coworkers who made the annual trek to the Auto Show. In other words, although NYC inhabitants are not as car-crazed as in L.A., there is a huge luxury SUV market surrounding NYC right in the sweet market spot where Lucid hopes to land the Gravity.

Sometimes I just do not get Lucid's marketing moves, such as they are.

The entire state of New Jersey and Long Island are high price SUV meccas. I agree it was a massive miss to not have the Gravity there but I’m sure it will at least improve Air sales some.

 

[hmp10]

When I went to see the gravity while it was on display at the Scottsdale studio, the sales associate told me the second one was being used to setup the production line or something like that. I assume that is the reason the green one has been MIA since the LA auto show

If they only had one available it would have had a lot more eyes on it at the Javits Center where it could have been placed at least for the show’s run.

 

[xponents]

R1S's are a common sight here in Edison, NJ (stopped counting at 30-something). So is any other EV SUV that has came out. I've seen 6 Fiskers, for example.

Meanwhile, I've seen 2 Airs in the past two years (not including repeat occurrences). Gravity absolutely MUST hurry up, and fast, since once people like another brand they may stick to it for life. Gravity seems like the exact sort of thing the wealthy suburbanites want.

 

[nck]

If they only had one available it would have had a lot more eyes on it at the Javits Center where it could have been placed at least for the show’s run.

agree

 

[hmp10]

I really do worry about Lucid's marketing strategies, especially as they are up against a particularly aggressive and personally malicious rival in Elon Musk.

One example is in Naples, FL, a town crawling with high-end vehicles and where I've seen more Lucid Airs than EQS's, i7's and Taycans. Yet when Lucid tried to put an Air on display at Saks Fifth Avenue as part of their marketing deal with Saks, they found themselves blocked by the mall owner because there is a Tesla store in the same mall. Saks sells quite a few products that compete directly with other stores in that mall, so there is not a blanket prohibition on cross-brand competition. This prohibition on competing products apparently arose from a demand Tesla made at some point.

Looking at the long lines that formed to test drive an Air at the New York show, I just wonder how many of those folks would be on the fence about considering a sedan purchase but would jump at finding Lucid technology and features in an SUV. I wonder what the foot traffic was in the Meat Packing District showroom compared to the foot traffic at the Javits Center those few days. (On our hour-plus visit to the Miami studio to see the Gravity, we were the only people there other than sales staff the entire time.)

I was particularly struck by the fact that Dave Conner, despite being in the business of making car videos and who wanted to see the Gravity, could not induce his wife to make the trek to the Lucid studio as she was too tired after a long, noisy day at the Javits Center. I wonder how many times that scenario played out with other visitors to the show.

 

[idiot900]

The Sapphire in the Saks in Manhattan, when I saw it recently, was terribly lit and was being generally ignored by passersby. A real shame since in natural light it looks amazing.

 

[kort6776]

The Sapphire in the Saks in Manhattan, when I saw it recently, was terribly lit and was being generally ignored by passersby. A real shame since in natural light it looks amazing.

FWIW: manhattan is not a hotbed of car enthusiasts

 

[idiot900]

FWIW: manhattan is not a hotbed of car enthusiasts

But there are a lot of people with pied-a-terres in Manhattan that would drive when they're at their other homes.

 

[Babyrocko1908]

While all of these opinions regarding Lucid's marketing of Gravity, or lack thereof in some of your opinions, is welcomed and appreciated. However, please keep in mind, Lucid is currently in litigation over the Gravity name and may be strategically limiting Gravity's marketing for now. It's easy to be armchair CEO's but NONE of us, yes including me, have a clue what's going on behind closed doors with Gravity. Be patient!!

On another note, my good friend will be getting rid of her 2023 iPace as soon as Gravity reservations open. The demand is there and will continue to be there.

 

[hmp10]

. . . Lucid is currently in litigation over the Gravity name and may be strategically limiting Gravity's marketing for now.

I agree there may be things relating to the name going on behind the scenes. However, Lucid executives continue to give interviews in which they refer to the "Gravity", and the vehicle was on display in New York. It's just a question of whether more people would have seen it at the Auto Show -- which is one of the major international auto shows -- or at the Lucid studio.

I continue to believe that Lucid's biggest problem right now is getting eyes on their product.

 

[Babyrocko1908]

I agree there may be things relating to the name going on behind the scenes. However, Lucid executives continue to give interviews in which they refer to the "Gravity", and the vehicle was on display in New York. It's just a question of whether more people would have seen it at the Auto Show -- which is one of the major international auto shows -- or at the Lucid studio.

I continue to believe that Lucid's biggest problem right now is getting eyes on their product.

It may be that they have changed strategy somewhat on the advice of their counsel. I'm speculating of course. Or maybe on display in their Meatpacking District Studio is different than on display at the New York Auto Show. These are different mediums.

 

[borski]

It may be that they have changed strategy somewhat on the advice of their counsel. I'm speculating of course. Or maybe on display in their Meatpacking District Studio is different than on display at the New York Auto Show. These are different mediums.

Objection, your honor - the question calls for speculation!

 

[borski]

One example is in Naples, FL, a town crawling with high-end vehicles and where I've seen more Lucid Airs than EQS's, i7's and Taycans. Yet when Lucid tried to put an Air on display at Saks Fifth Avenue as part of their marketing deal with Saks, they found themselves blocked by the mall owner because there is a Tesla store in the same mall. Saks sells quite a few products that compete directly with other stores in that mall, so there is not a blanket prohibition on cross-brand competition. This prohibition on competing products apparently arose from a demand Tesla made at some point.

I’ve mentioned this before, but pettiness doesn’t win markets long-term. I don’t mind the petty nonsense while Lucid finds its footing.

I am *extremely glad* that Lucid isn’t engaging in that same petty nonsense.

I hear you on the marketing concerns. I just don’t know how to analyze whether they’re good/bad without information on the other side.

 

[hmp10]

I did a little digging on two domestic auto shows this year: the Chicago show in February, which is the world's largest in terms of floor space and number of displays, and the New York Show that just ended.

Lucid appeared at the Chicago show this year for the first time. They did not have a Gravity on display, although two had been displayed at the Los Angeles show in November. I do not know where the two prototypes were at the time of the Chicago Show. 260,000 people attended the show.

The New York Show reported attendance of over 1 million people, considerably up from the average of 628,000 over the last few years. Lucid was reported to have had the longest lines waiting for test drives of any brand at the show. But there was no Gravity on display. There was one on display, however, 1.8 miles away at the Lucid Design Studio.

I wonder how many people went to the Lucid Design Studio during the Auto Show's run.

Showing up at these two auto shows without a Gravity meant over 1.25 million lost opportunities for someone to see a Gravity. I have seen the vehicle twice. It is a stunner that could go a long way toward selling itself if allowed the chance. Several popular reviewers have found the Gravity more attractive than the Air and, while that is not quite my view, I do see their point, especially regarding the rear quarters.

@terrycs suggested the absence of a Gravity at these shows might have been about cannibalizing Air sales. I'm wondering that more and more, as I simply cannot fathom any other reason for planting a Gravity in a showroom less than two miles from where over a million car buffs were paying stiff ticket prices to check out the newest things in the automotive world.

 

[no gas]

I did a little digging on two domestic auto shows this year: the Chicago show in February, which is the world's largest in terms of floor space and number of displays, and the New York Show that just ended.

Lucid appeared at the Chicago show this year for the first time. They did not have a Gravity on display, although two had been displayed at the Los Angeles show in November. I do not know where the two prototypes were at the time of the Chicago Show. 260,000 people attended the show.

The New York Show reported attendance of over 1 million people, considerably up from the average of 628,000 over the last few years. Lucid was reported to have had the longest lines waiting for test drives of any brand at the show. But there was no Gravity on display. There was one on display, however, 1.8 miles away at the Lucid Design Studio.

I wonder how many people went to the Lucid Design Studio during the Auto Show's run.

Showing up at these two auto shows without a Gravity meant over 1.25 million lost opportunities for someone to see a Gravity. I have seen the vehicle twice. It is a stunner that could go a long way toward selling itself if allowed the chance. Several popular reviewers have found the Gravity more attractive than the Air and, while that is not quite my view, I do see their point, especially regarding the rear quarters.

@terrycs suggested the absence of a Gravity at these shows might have been about cannibalizing Air sales. I'm wondering that more and more, as I simply cannot fathom any other reason for planting a Gravity in a showroom less than two miles from where over a million car buffs were paying stiff ticket prices to check out the newest things in the automotive world.

I’m sure Lucid has a good reason that we are not aware about….changing the name due to the recent trademark issue?